Find out what's happening behind the scenes at Registers of Scotland.

DPA: Delivering an effective deeds checking service

Development Plan Approval is one of our most important services at RoS. Over 230 developers have used DPA to check their development plans against registered titles, to rule out any extent issues. But that’s not the only benefit of DPA – did you know it also features a deed checking service?

A complete registration service

As part of DPA, RoS examines draft deed styles to check that they meet the criteria for registration. This means checking the terms of the deed, ensuring all clauses match up, and that the statutory style of the deed is acceptable. The deeds check can also spot minor errors or anomalies in an application; means they can be addressed before submission.

With DPA, the deeds come straight to the DPA team that has already been working on the plans side, which streamlines the process and speeds up registration. Additionally, the extra layer of examination means that DPA provides a complete service covering both the plans and deeds of new developments.

A conversation before registration

Our dedicated DPA team work closely with developers and solicitors throughout the lifetime of their applications, and as a result have built strong customer relationships. The feedback to the team has been extremely positive, with the deeds check service considered ‘a conversation before registration’, which provides the developers and solicitors with the confidence that their applications will be processed with a minimal likelihood of rejection.

This is particularly helpful for large developments, as DPA provides the confidence that when plot sales start, they will be registered quickly with minimal risk of rejection. For more details on how our DPA team help customers with their applications, see our recent Q&A post.

How to get started

To get the most from DPA, we recommend applicants submit their deed of conditions to the DPA team as well as the draft disposition and the individual deeds. This gives us an extremely beneficial spread of information on the development in question, which speeds up the registration process.